Grand Bend, Ontario community newspaper and entertainment events guide. Also serves Zurich, Dashwood, Port Franks, Exeter, Parkhill. Casey Lessard photos.
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Here’s your chance to mingle with local artists and enjoy an evening out: artists at the Sunset Arts and River Road Galleries, located west of Purdy’s on River Road, invite you to their 2010 gala opening June 25 from 4 to 9 p.m. Grand Bend Strip publisher Casey Lessard is among the artists selling art [...]
The Grand Bend Studio Tour runs May 1 and 2 in studios and galleries across the area. This year’s roster includes: Adelaide Glass (Linda Rupp), Anne Luxton, Barb McKnight, Barry Richman, Bill Nieuwland, Bliss Studio, Casey Lessard (I’ll be at Pine Dale and Sunset Arts), Christopher Grimes, David Bannister, Debra Bailey, Fran Roelands, Gallery Algo, [...]
Fran Roelands is ABCA feature artist 21st annual Conservation Dinner Thursday, April 15 South Huron Rec. Centre, Exeter Tickets: $50 Phone: 1-888-286-2610 http://www.conservationdinner.com West McGillivray watercolour painter Fran Roelands is this year’s Ausable Bayfield Conservation Dinner feature artist, and is offering her painting, Along the Banks of Mud Creek (above), to this year’s auction. The [...]
Story and photos by Casey Lessard After winning Best in Show at Paint Ontario several years ago, Josy Hilkes Britton used her cash prize to buy a canoe. Her ensuing paddling excursions resulted in Reflections, Britton’s second Paint Ontario Best in Show painting. “That’s how I get inspired in the first place, canoeing,” Hilkes Britton [...]
Zurich photographer opens shop in Exeter above Village Vines Story and photo by Casey Lessard One of our favourite area photographers, Sandra Regier, opened a studio and office above Village Vines in Exeter in July. Regier hosted an open house Friday to show the new place, which is a photographer’s dream. The former apartment has [...]
Story by Casey Lessard Painting by Helga Otton After a trip to Cuba, an inspired Helga Otton returned to Grand Bend with plans to document the town in the way Caribbean artists do. The result is Dreamin’ Grand Bend, a surreal collage of favourite Grand Bend landmarks painted in acrylic on canvas, as seen at [...]
Needs supporters to maintain River Road presence Story and photos by Casey Lessard The Grand Bend Art Centre could give up the lease on its River Road space if a fundraising effort fails to generate enough interest before October. Artists (including this reporter) use the space to teach art workshops to community members. Artist Teresa [...]
Paintings by Lorraine Thomson and Tony Miller on display at Bliss Studio in Port Franks The Art of Bliss Bliss Studio, 519-243-3598 7617 Riverside Drive, Port Franks Story by Casey Lessard A winter storm set in motion a collaboration that led to this summer’s final show at Bliss Studio in Port Franks. Owners Lorraine Thomson [...]
Story and photos by Casey Lessard When Deb and Jim McCann bought a lakefront cottage last year, it came complete with a dead tree. Of course, they thought what anyone would: make a pirate. “It’s an elm tree that was hit by lightning about four years ago,” Deb says. “The bark flew off it one [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard I want to send my gratitude to everyone who came to my art exhibition opening over the weekend. It was not only a pleasure to see old faces, but also to see the silent supporters who had never previously said hello. I had people visiting from as far [...]
Caroline Bruce creates exotic accessories at home in Parkhill After spending a couple of years working in Jamaica, Caroline Bruce decided home is where her heart was. The 28-year old recently launched Tweak jewelry (http://www.tweakboutiqueonline.com/), her line of unique hand-crafted accessories made from semi-precious stones, metals and woods. As told to Casey Lessard Photo by [...]
The Grand Bend Horticultural Society hopes this year’s Festival of Homes, Gardens and Arts sells out like last year’s event did. On board for the June 27 event are nine homes and gardens, 23 artists and 2 nurseries. Passports for the tour are $15, with locations disclosed that day. The passport includes treats such as [...]
Focus of annual show is representational art Paint Ontario March 14 to April 5 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. – Lambton Heritage Museum By Casey Lessard “Fight poverty, buy art.” That’s the mantra Paint Ontario founder Barry Richman uses to encourage people to support the representational art show he started in 1996. “Paint Ontario was [...]
To get you in the mood for spring, Grand Bend artist Jack Winn presents an exhibition of small panels of winter scenes at Baillie’s Framing (beside the Grand Bend post office). The 15 panels, ranging in size from 6”x8” to 12”x15”, all depict local scenes. Some of the paintings are part of the juried show, [...]
Meet Me at the Diner Exeter Skating Club Carnival Sunday, March 29 12 and 4 p.m. (two shows) – South Huron Recreation Centre $8 (advance) or $10 (at door), $4 for children 12 and under While skaters prepare their routines for the Exeter Skating Club carnival March 29, students at South Huron District High School [...]
The Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority hosts its 20th Conservation Dinner April 16 at the South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter. This year’s feature artist is Bill Nieuwland of Huron Woods. The 64-year old self-taught artist frequently paints scenes that capture the ABCA’s mandate area. Nieuwland is donating three pieces: two giclée prints of previous work (Blue [...]
Grand Bend artist Josy Britton was recently honoured with entry into the Society of Canadian Artists. For each submission, the society’s jury looks at five paintings made within the last two years, examines the artist’s résumé and determines which would be a good representative of current art in Canada. At told to Casey Lessard We [...]
Exeter writer Rick Hundey set his first novel Death at the Bend in Grand Bend. It was released in November by Faux Pop of Goderich. As told to Casey Lessard I’ve been playing around with writing for years. I didn’t get serious about it until about six or seven years ago. I joined a writers’ [...]
By Casey Lessard Capture action Like our cover photographer Kelsey Brand’s photo of her sister Logan, your photos will be better if you capture life in action. Experiment with fast shutter speeds (like the cover) or slow ones, in which case you should move with the subject or stay perfectly still (i.e. use a tripod). [...]
Story by Casey Lessard If you’re looking for an escape from reality, stop by Sarah Kane’s solo retrospective at Bliss Studio in Port Franks (7617 Riverside Drive, 519-243-3598), running August 11 to September 7. Twenty-five year old Kane, originally of London, sets up dreamscapes involving real people and transforms them through Photoshop before using graphite [...]
View from the Strip By Casey Lessard No one can deny the fact that the arts are an important part of our community. All you have to do is look at this issue of the Grand Bend Strip to see the creativity of the people who live in our community. From musicians to actors, dancers [...]
Story and photos by Casey Lessard “We’ve been talking about it for ten years,” Grand Bend artist Teresa Marie says of the newly launched Grand Bend Art Centre. “I just got tired of listening to my own voice.” The centre, housed in the same building as the River Road Gallery and the new Sunset Arts [...]
The inevitable day has arrived. I had hoped I would be able to continue to provide the Grand Bend Strip newspaper for free indefinitely, but after thinking long and hard this spring, I realize that the only way for the paper to publish this winter is to ask for your support. Like you, I value [...]
More than 60 artists are taking part in the fifth annual Hensall By Design, which runs July 12 to 18 at the Hensall United Church on King Street. Funds raised from the event support local initiatives. The juried art show and sale attracts artists from across Ontario and the United States. Cash prizes are awarded [...]
